Wagtail's Outpost
by SoulBlack
Summary: Being dragged into a ridiculous plan featuring alien girls is bad, but having to prevent the whole thing from turning into an all-out war is a lot worse. Two years after the war between the Zaibatsu and G Corp, Lars unwillingly finds himself in what could be an armageddon of unmeasurable proportions. It should have been easy, if only it weren't that these girls are just so...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The Tekken franchise is property of Namco, and Sekirei is the work of Sakurako Gokurakuin. I own none of the rights to either of them. This is a work of fiction meant only to entertain and in no way intends to tamper with the actual works of either of the elements composing the story. This is a work made by fans for fans, and in no way intends to make any form of profit or economical income.**

**Wagtail's Outpost**

Chapter 1: The end of a war, the beginning of another.

**26****th****. of October, 2019: Unknown location, near the Japanese border.**

"_Hold them off!"_

His voice never reached anyone's ears; it was drowned under the riot of gunshots, explosions, mistitled shouts, and the agonizing voices of those who had been caught in the crossfire.

"_Echo, how's your position!?"_

"_The eastern gate has been compromised!"_

"_The Jacks have breached the northern gate!"_

"_A-aren't those…?"_

"_Goddamnit! Stay in position!"_

"_The second squad is down!"_

"_THE EASTERN GATE IS DOWN!"_

"_Do not let them near the packages! We can't let them reach the vans!"_

"_INCOMING JACKS!"_

The rest happened in a sweeping flash. As the metallic golems fell and preyed upon what little remained of the battalion… or it should be referred to as a desperate _last stand_, the soldiers fell one after the other under the terrible might of the armed Jacks. There was no organization to either side anymore, it was but a one-sided _massacre_ that slaughtered through the numbers of the receiving end. It was a losing fight that couldn't end in any other way, anyone who had a minuscule amount of cold objectivity could see that.

They had been chased, _cornered_, and thoroughly _annihilated_.

Gripping his torn, useless vest, the commander pulled himself to the side of the military truck that was now turned over, using what remained of the vehicle to shield himself from the flying bullets and explosions. Pulling the radio to his mouth, he sent one last message to the Headquarters.

"…Transport failed… ambushed…"

* * *

**1****st****. of November, 2019: New Tokyo Tower, Japan.**

Frowning upon the information before him, Minaka Hiroto took a deep breath. This was _not_ going well, this was _not_ to his liking, and over above everything else, he was _smiling_.

Not only had he lost a valuable portion of his research _materials_, the fact that it had actually _happened_ in the first place didn't help to the direness of the situation. To add further insult to the injury, it had happened so swift and professionally (in what little measure could fit the word), that he couldn't help but smile at the _nerve_, the _audacity_ they had proven. Not only had they openly gone ahead and claimed _war_ against one of the most powerful and influential companies of the whole world, they had the courage (or was it foolishness? Either way, he didn't care) to send him the regards. But, for all the gasoline that had been put in the fire, he couldn't help but grin like a maniac. Whether such smile was due to sheer amusement, or a fit of insane rage, no one but the white-haired CEO knew.

That wasn't to say, that everyone else in the meeting had the same idea. It had quickly escalated into a mess of men and women throwing insults and incoherent ramblings one at the other into an incomprehensible revolt that no one could stop.

"How could this happen!?"

"We are going to lose a whole lot of income with this!"

"Those insolent bastards, how dare they do such thing!?"

"There m-must be some kind of m-mistake!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Minaka dared to give a look at Takami. She hadn't join the fray, and instead opted to direct the full malice of her being into him. Needless to say, Minaka kept his smirk.

Takami knew that, in a way, she should have expected this. No one in this room should have forgotten that _no one_ is untouchable, none of the people in this room were, and neither was MBI. Well, maybe Minaka would disagree, but even then, this was a painful reminder that they were in the beast's jaws, that they had _always _been in the beast's jaws. Angrily biting at the stem of her smoke, Takami couldn't help but sink in the enraging waters of impotence.

What could oneresearcher do against a bunch of heavily-armored, robotic, and to top it, freaking _kamikaze_ soldiers? Even with all the technology that they possessed, MBI wasn't invincible; this was another reminder of it.

Climbing to the top without making enemies is an impossible task, and this was something that Minaka knew far too well.

The war between the G Corporation and the Mishima Zaibatsu had ended just a year ago, in 2018. With the disappearance of the Zaibatsu's CEO, Jin Kazama, and quick movements from Heihachi Mishima, the war that had been ravaging the whole world ended in a matter of months.

That wasn't to say, that the consequences of the war had been any good. If only it hadn't been for MBI and the G Corporation.

Jin Kazama had decided to begin a ruthless advance against all nations back in 2014, and he didn't stop at anything, he boldly went against those who dared to oppose against him… and also to those who didn't. Jin Kazama's army raided every single city, village and location that stood in any form or way of whatever plans he had in his mind. For 4 long years the world was shaken in war and conflict. It had literally just been a global scale war, although it wasn't just about nations or a conglomerate of groups coming together to stand against each other. It had been only Jin Kazama's fortune and influence as the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu, one if not the biggest of groups in the whole world, that he managed to keep a war going straight for four years. No nation was untouched by the might of the Zaibatsu; _none_ were left unscarred by the terrible struggle that managed to shake the world.

It was due to the G Corporation's stand against them. With all their propaganda and publicly known bravado, the G Corporation received praise and support from the masses. That, summed along with the fact that they had also managed to _actually hold back _the Zaibatsu's army that they managed to skyrocket.

MBI, however, decided to play another role in the duration of the war. That was to say that they didn't actually just stood idly and did nothing on the deplorable situation that the world was in.

Mid Bio Informatics decided that instead of opting to make an armed approach, they had decided to perform operations of rescue, charity, and support to the nations in need. They used their resources to give food, shelter, and actually help restore the damages caused by the war. During and after the whole duration of the war, and to this day, it was only due to MBI's resources that the world had managed to regain a sense of balance. That was to say, that not only the G Corporation had a favorable position in the whole world, but also MBI had as much, if not a little different, kind of recognition, recognition that they had known to use and move along their own agendas.

Yet again, not only MBI took advantage of the fleeting "peace" that was now nervously reigning on the world. The G Corporation had also decided to play their cards and take advantage of their own state of affairs.

And oh, boy. Had they actually gone ahead and done something flat out _impressive_, if not stupid.

Minaka Hiroto was no idiot (though he could be called an eccentric and foolish individual by more than one… and it certainly wasn't completely false). Even though MBI was a rather young corporation before the G Corporation and Mishima Zaibatsu, it had been because of Minaka (and his trusted marketing, politics and advertising departments) that he had managed to make a fame and place for MBI in the world along the superpowers of the now fallen (and disgraced) Zaibatsu, and the multi-billionaire G Corp. It hadn't been an easy task, but MBI's hard work had certainly paid off. Why, even during the war, they had managed to actually outright _buy_ what once had been Tokyo (after being bombarded in one of the Zaibatsu's air raids) and more than one few too many territories across the globe, and proceeded into settling down many of the cities with the most advanced technologies of the modern era.

Such was the situation of the current Shin Tokyo, raised from the remains of what used to be Tokyo at the finale of 2017, and had prospered superbly, only helped further by the recent end of the war.

Shin Tokyo was conceived and raised wholly by MBI's funding, planning and actual developing and construction. It could pretty much be expected that it only reflected back their might. Shin Tokyo had been the first of many cities to be raised up from the ground after the devastation of the 4 year conflict that had ravaged and left more than just one or two cities down.

The point of all this is, that MBI was currently in one very favorable position. However, favorable doesn't always mean _good_.

No matter all their money and propaganda, they still couldn't handle or expect to control the totality of every person in the world. Even with all their efforts, the aftereffects of the war still lingered in the minds of many. As much as people wanted to cower back and try to play fools, saying that everything was fine, the memories were carved deep within their memories, those 4 years that had been so hard had taken their toll on the poor inhabitants of the globe.

The number of casualties that the war had taken didn't help at all either. Some thousand million lives can only be taken lightly in paper.

As smoothly as the flourishing of the world with the help of MBI was, it is needless to say that the current positions of both the G Corp and MBI against each other should be of mutual respect and gratitude.

Except, that it wasn't, Minaka knew better.

Oh boy, the G Corporation, the party who had publicly ended the war, hadn't taken a moment to rest or even take a breather. As soon as the war ended, they had mobilized, and it hadn't been a move out of or for kindness at all.

They had moved _against_ MBI.

It hadn't been a known move to the public masses, but, between the two companies, this had been a definitive declaration of hostility.

Minaka was surely enjoying every second of this, Takami thought.

The G Corporation had organized a secretive operative to attack one of their more important _cargos_ during the transportation procedures. And they had actually _succeeded_ in doing so. How had they come into such information, of their "unknown" agenda, was beyond any of MBI's staff.

Looking back into the situation, Takami knew why it was such an extreme crisis. MBI was on the palm of the G Corp's hand. If they gave one false step, it could cost them _dearly_. Their _secrets_ wouldn't be easily taken to the outside world if such information was ever revealed. Takami knew for certain that if given enough prep time, MBI's army could march against G Corp. But, doing so would prove counterproductive. The G Corp was in possession of something that no one but MBI should have access to. If they were to march and try to reclaim it, they didn't doubt that there would be a warm welcome waiting for them, but also that G Corp could play fool and go ahead and reveal their secrets to the open world. And that was something even Minaka considered dangerous. He was still thinking if he should take the gamble, and was measuring every angle of the situation with delight.

Takami, however, wasn't so sure she wanted to take the risk. It could compromise the whole Sekirei Plan; however, it wasn't in a way she could agree with. As much as she wanted to stop the "game", even if she fervently wanted to dismantle with all her might, moving against the G Corp put everything into a greater scale of danger than what Minaka's own absurd plan placed upon the unsuspecting beings that were going take form part in the most ridiculous battle royale ever conceived.

No matter how she weighed the situation, she still couldn't help but fall into the field of keeping everything in secrecy and proceeding with the Sekirei Plan if she had to.

The reason for doing so is that she actually _knew_ that the G Corporation couldn't be trusted. If only the strange movements and investments of the company's latest projects and managements hadn't been enough, she would never trust the current CEO of the G Corporation.

Kazuya Mishima was a devil in human skin, and she knew it. Takami didn't buy him playing savior of mankind with his "brave" stand against the Mishima Zaibatsu. If it weren't that he was the very _father_ of Jin Kazama, the one he was actually waving war against, it could be the way he had suddenly climbed to the CEO seat of the Corporation, or how he had actually gone into the field of _war_, one time after the other into the battlefield, only to leave a bloody trail behind him. Takami knew that Kazuya Mishima was and is a sadist and evil man down to the very core, and she couldn't fathom herself to entrust the Sekirei or anything regarding them to him in all her life or even afterlife, she had lost too much to the G Corporation and the Zaibatsu.

So, now everyone had their hands tied. The G Corporation had made their move, and succeeded, but also, doing so put them in an unfavorable situation. They had taken hold of some _interesting_ information regarding MBI, and even though MBI _had_ the means and resources to retrieve what they lost, it would quickly escalate into a situation in which the companies would have to start throwing out the truths and misdeeds of each other until they blew it out as an armed conflict. Thing is, that neither MBI nor the G Corp could afford another war without destroying themselves and playing every of their cards, something which neither of them wanted.

It came to the point that the G Corporation couldn't give a false step as well. MBI kept their tabs of them close and they had more than just dirt to throw.

The situation that both companies had put themselves in was as favorable as unfavorable as it could be. If one or the other blew it up, god knows how it would end, but one thing for certain: such end would be _worse_ than what the conflict between the Zaibatsu and G Corp had concluded in, Minaka and everyone at MBI could promise that.

The question was: What was MBI going to do now?

Looking back into the current meeting, it was clear that no one had any idea.

Or, no one would have, if it weren't for Minaka's next declaration.

"_We proceed as planned"._

* * *

**20****th****. of November, 2019: New G Corporation Mainframe, Dubai.**

Even if he was the kind of man that would rather let his fists speak for him rather than his mouth, Kazuya Mishima still was an intelligent man. Perhaps not in the way the directives of the G Corporation were, he was not the type for diplomacy or politics, it was the reason the positions of vice-president and directives existed after all. Still, Kazuya Mishima was neither an idiot nor an impulsive man. He knew that results came through work and effort, he believed deeply in the fact that were there was a will strong enough, there was nothing which couldn't be accomplished. Why, he was the living example of this. If he hadn't been so _inhumanly_ stubborn, he would have died a long time ago. Acquired resilience, inhuman power, _resurrection_, he didn't really care for the reasons, he cared for _ends_ and _results_, and two consecutive times now, he had managed to fool death's grip. Kazuya was a man of nothing but willpower, although such willpower was nothing short of hatred and malice.

It had been almost a month since they had gone daredevil and attacked MBI, and since then, they had been mobilizing in a pretty tight schedule. However, there still hadn't been any results, and even though Kazuya knew that the researchers, scientists and whoever else were working in the project had been working nonstop for the last weeks, they hadn't been able to make any remarkable progress. He couldn't fathom the reasons, and even though he himself had gone down into the labs for a little _incentive_, there were limits to what humans could do.

"_Hmph, pathetic humans"_

The G Corp exceeded at genetic research, sure, but there were still things they weren't _ready for_.

Kazuya knew that his fleeting moment of glory at the top of the world was just that, a _passing_, finite instant that wouldn't last forever, but he was sure he would make the best of it. Thanks to the funding of multiple outside groups, plus the fame and public appreciation from the masses, it wasn't excessive that most called them the "saviors of the world", and that also thanks to it they had managed to stay afloat in the first place… even if they weren't any saviors or anything of the sort, at all.

That wasn't to say, that this all matched Kazuya's own perception of success.

He hadn't been able to fulfill any of what he had expected to accomplish on this war. First and foremost, he had wanted to take control of both the Zaibatsu and G Corporation at once, and that was his first failure. After the scandalous fiasco that was the 6th. King of Iron Fist Tournament, and subsequent war, he hadn't been able to make any moves to take control of the Zaibatsu, as it was Heihachi who made the first move, it was an unpleasant twist of events. Still, Kazuya knew that there was nothing much left of the Zaibatsu, and it had been due to two factors: Jin's tyrannical campaign, which had cost the Zaibatsu more than just a petty penny… and MBI.

Seriously, Jin's moves had been nothing but completely disastrous for the Zaibatsu; however, it was due to MBI that events had come to happen in such a way.

MBI had been a young corporation, and even though they had a great deal of presence on the globe, it wasn't but _after_ this latest war that they had escalated into the superpower that shared the place along with the G Corp as saviors of the world. And that wasn't something that Kazuya liked. He had no need for competition; the throne of supremacy is only for_ one_ person to sit in. The popularity of MBI resided in the fact that though they hadn't actively participated in the war, they had managed to make a name for themselves through their "humanitarian" campaigns. To make matters more complicated, almost all of the groups that had been once under the control of the Mishima Zaibatsu had moved immediately under MBI's wing. That didn't help the Zaibatsu's situation.

Still, Kazuya knew that there was more to MBI than met the eye. And his intuitions had never been more correct. It was just like the G Corp, because MBI had their personal agenda behind the public's eyes, much like them. It was just a matter of _digging_ into the holes they had covered.

And Kazuya had struck the jackpot.

Whatever it was that MBI was hiding, it was certainly _interesting_, and Kazuya wouldn't stop until he seized the totality of whatever MBI was developing or planning.

Organizing an ambush was nothing new to G Corp, and MBI had _had_ the carelessness of actually believing that they hadn't kept their eyes on them. It would cost them _dearly_.

What the G Corporation managed to extract from their impromptu ambush were some _remarkable_ materials.

It had been a group of girls, and one strange gem. And they all had been pretty fascinating to study, although it was fascinating to the researchers, but not really that much to Kazuya.

Their research on the girls had been the one which had the most advances in. They had learned that the girls possessed some unique characteristics. If only it weren't that their DNA, while incredibly similar to the human genome, was still something _out of this world_, it could be the fact that their bodies were also on another level. They proved to have greater capabilities than any human could hope to fathom. Some researchers would even fantasize that they might have been able to match the already inhuman CEO of the G Corp.

Still, it was discouraging the fact that they couldn't actually _wake up_ the girls in question.

They had been in a comatose state ever since they had been brought to the G Corp labs, and hadn't moved a bit ever since then. Even with all their technology and head scientists, the G Corp had no way to make work on these apparently extraterrestrial beings. It had already cost them one of the subjects, and, their subjects were finite, after all. They had only three of them, and the termination of one of them had left them in an unfavorable situation, their guinea pigs were a little bit too scarce, after all.

The other half of the investigation was made upon the strange crystal that was being carried along with the girls. And that hadn't been too impressive yet.

The crystal possessed no remarkable qualities by itself, but the further studies of the strange contents of it put a strange gap in the actual situation of the investigation. Whatever it was that this crystal possessed, it also was something of extraterrestrial origin, and was currently useless on its own. The researchers had found that it was related to the alien girls in some way, but had nothing else on it. They hadn't been able to use the crystal in any way, nor were risking doing anything too inconspicuous. One small crystalline material and two subjects were not much to work from, no matter how much they tried to do otherwise.

What they were making progress on, instead, was a brand _new_ project. It was still in the hypothesizing phase, and there were still too many implications to try to make an actual test or field application, that was a long stretch. However, this was proving to be more promising.

Even if they had no way of making actual use of their test subjects, the studies on their DNA had opened window to one insane plan: Make use of the alien DNA to start a super soldier project. Now that was a scary thought.

After all, the G Corporation was known for their incredible advances in bio-technology. Only surpassed by MBI, the G Corp was probably the second biggest name in that field. And Kazuya was a prime example of their expertise. Not only had they managed to revive a dead man (stronger than ever, as a plus), they had been making steady progress on the study on the mysterious Devil Gene, which Kazuya and his son, Jin Kazama, possessed. What could be said about G Corp is, that instead of making advances for the use of the general public, they were instead focusing on military applications (On Kazuya's demands, principally), and in that aspect, they were more fearsome than MBI. They hadn't waged and "won" a war for nothing.

If G Corp ever reaches their desired results… god better have mercy on the poor souls of the world.

**3****rd****. of December, 2019: New Tokyo Tower, Shin Tokyo, Japan.**

Lars Alexandersson liked to think of politics as necessary evils of the world, or at least forced himself to think so whenever he had to deal with them. Still, theory and practice are two very different things, and when actually having to deal with them in live, Lars couldn't help but try to shrug the discomfort he felt. Even if he disliked doing so, he would have to deal with the situation, and he would do so to the best of his abilities.

That wasn't to say that Lars was a politician, he was a _soldier_, and soldiers should be on the field of war, not with cranky and untactful men who thought themselves above the rest of the populace.

Still, for all the discomfort he felt of politics, he could endure having to deal with them, the politicians themselves, however, where another matter, especially, when they were just the kind that Lars disliked.

Natsuo Ichinomi had been for the most part, a polite and easy-going young man in all of his interactions, which albeit brief and rare, gave Lars a first impression which wasn't the most pleasant one, even if he didn't seem to be overly indicative, cynic, or adamant about anything that required his attention, Natsuo Ichinomi gave Lars an unpleasant feeling in his gut whenever the two of them related.

Lars was no stranger to both masking and sensing danger and hidden intentions. Learning how to read your enemy's intentions, and act accordingly was one of the most fundamental aspects to survive confrontations where your life is on the line, and with Lars' long record on the front lines, it had been one of the most important abilities he had to develop. With that said, it wasn't just about sensing or masking killer intent: it was about learning to move around it, or sometimes, _through it_. Lars was no newcomer to danger, his senses having been sharpened and tempered in the fields of war.

Yet, it wasn't only due to Natsuo's fake smiles that Lars' senses were on their maximum degree of alert; there was an even bigger concern, a more immediate hazard.

Standing across the room, casually resting at the wall was a woman, clad in a black leather top with a rather skimpy miniskirt, with equally dark stockings and boots, only contrasted by the gray haori on her shoulders. With dark silver hair and delicate features, her tall, slim and well-built figure, there was no doubt that she was a beauty.

But it was the stench of blood that she carried with herself that put Lars on his edge. She carried the very same smile and easy-going appearance that Natsuo sported, only that her bloodlust was so _gargantuan_ and apparent that in comparison to the businessman, he seemed like only an annoying vermin. All that, coupled with the katana the woman so casually carried, only strengthened Lars' suspicions and growing uneasiness.

The combination of these two dangerous persons was more than sufficient to have Lars on his guard. _These people are dangerous_, he knew.

Lars would have surely damned diplomacy for answers, but this was no situation to do so. He hoped it wouldn't have to come to it…

"Ah, Alexandersson-san, I'm glad to see you again" Natsuo spoke with a smile at all times. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm afraid that I've been a little bit too busy recently".

Being taken away from his thoughts, Lars put on his straightest poker face.

"Do not fret over it, Ichinomi-dono" Lars could tend to be overly respectful, and the fact that he was in front of someone who managed to push all the wrong buttons for him, it could be said that Lars was an ace on keeping up with pressure for not breaking down.

Still, with all said and done, Lars could say that without a doubt, that he _hated_ Natsuo Ichinomi if he were asked.

"I'm sorry to have called you so suddenly, but we require of your services" Natsuo politely elaborated, not without hurry or even in an active, demanding tone, he just spoke as if each of his statements were facts.

And at least he didn't beat around the bush, Lars was thankful for that.

Lars didn't respond or even flinch; he kept quiet and continued studying the formal-suited businessman.

"Ah, where are my manners?" Natsuo realized. "Let us take a seat. You must have been standing this whole time".

"I am fine as I am; thank you" Lars responded as both casual and formal his skill provided. Even if their relationship could be called "professional", Lars didn't want to give the impression that he felt familiarity with this man or MBI.

Natsuo turned his gaze back on Lars, and showed his teeth through his smile.

"Oh, sure, you must prefer to stand at all times, Mr. Soldier" Natsuo shot back, still in his annoying superior-complex tone. "Some habits do not ever let, after all".

Taking a seat on his desk, Natsuo relaxed his shoulders and shifted himself, placing his elbows on the wood and arched forward, placing his hands over his mouth. He calmly scrutinized the still standing Lars with a slightly amused expression.

It was Lars who broke the silence.

"What do you need from us?"

"Oh, not from your group, MBI is in need of **your** services" Natsuo corrected.

As the words sunk, Lars raised an eyebrow.

"Just… me?"

"Yes, quite precisely" Natsuo followed in a matter-of-a-fact manner. "We require of your personal services, Alexandersson Lars-san" He elaborated using the classic way of Japanese naming.

Before Lars could elaborate any further, he was interrupted by Natsuo, yet, he kept his poker face to the best of his abilities.

"I am assuming you revised the document that was sent to you one week ago, right?" Natsuo asked, although the way he spoke made it seem more of a rhetorical question instead of an actual inquiry.

"Yes" Lars responded with no sentiment. "I wouldn't be here otherwise".

"Ah, that makes matters much easier" Natsuo's smile grew behind his hands. "Then, I will proceed to fill you in with anything you may need for your mission".

Lars was taken aback by the brashness of Natsuo Ichinomi, but didn't show any reaction.

"What is what I am supposed to retrieve?" Lars asked. He would play along as if he had taken the bait for now.

Natsuo shifted and placed himself in a more comfortable position in his chair, leaving his hands together, retiring them from his mouth and letting them float near his chest.

"On the 26th of October, we lost something vital to the G Corporation during the change of transportation methods".

"We were attacked by the G Corporation on the Japanese borderline when we were unloading the boats coming from the Russian edge, and were placing the cargo on the vans we were to use to bring them to the capital. The attack happened around 11:43 p.m. of our time".

"After using our satellites to track our cargo, we were unpleasantly surprised to find that we were unable to follow the trace of the stolen shipments. It is to our belief that the G Corporation used their own satellites and technology to cover their escape. I'm afraid to say that to this day, we weren't able to track down their location after we lost the signal on China".

"Your mission, Alexandersson-san, is to go to the new headquarters of the G Corporation in Dubai and retrieve our stolen property".

Natsuo never once raised his voice or let any emotion show in his demeanor.

For a rough 20 seconds, both men remained quiet.

"You didn't tell me _what_ was what you lost" Lars opted for a blunt approach, repeating his previous question.

"Oh, that is none of your concern, Alexandersson-san" Ichinomi casually shrugged. "What you need to know is that what was lost is of utmost vitality to MBI, and should be retrieved as fast as possible".

Lars took a moment to ponder.

None of this made sense from a technical standpoint of view. If whatever they had lost had been _so_ important, why hadn't MBI made any movements up until now? It had been more than a month for them to have done something, _anything_. That wasn't to say that they could have done something out of their own accord. MBI had a lot of resources, which included its own private army that, although recently formed, could definitely hold their own against the G Corp. If it was a matter of destroying each other, there was no doubt that MBI could do so.

Yet again, from a political view, it half-made sense. The war between the G Corp and Zaibatsu had ended just recently. Waging _another_ war would be counterproductive if it happened this early. That said… if it was only about keeping a form of peace. From another angle, Lars couldn't understand why hadn't they had made this public. If the G Corp had made a move against MBI, MBI could retaliate by openly demanding them to turn back whatever they had stolen. Yet, they weren't doing so. They had come to ask him, a total _foreigner_ to the matter to do the work for them. And they were handing him such job as if it were dirty, to top it.

Lars' only conclusion on the subject was that whatever they were trying to make him retrieve was something which the public shouldn't know of. And that didn't help the predicament or his suspicions.

"Why do you expect me to help?" Lars icily quizzed. "For all that I know, you could be hiding something particularly dangerous. And I'm not willing to do anything that may be dangerous for the peace of the world".

"Because, Mr. Alexandersson" Natsuo chuckled, referring now to Lars in an occidental manner. Separating his hands, something about him changed. "We both know that you won't let the G Corporation take hold of whatever it is that they have come across. You, of all people, know the true colors of Kazuya Mishima, perhaps a _little better_ than _most_. And it is only _you_ that will not let him have his way, only you, Mr. Alexandersson".

That managed to shatter Lars' façade. Like a bucket of cold water, Lars now understood what he meant.

"You… this… this is not by request of MBI, right? This is all for a personal _favor_, a personal _whim_" Lars almost growled.

"Oh, I see that we're finally understanding each other, Mr. Alexandersson" Natsuo calmly affirmed.

"We both have an enemy in common right now, Mr. Alexandersson, one that we both dearly seek to wipe out from the map".

"Now that we're in the same frequency, let me dismiss all this MBI bullshit" Natsuo continued, still keeping his calm demeanor.

"I have no care in the world for whatever it was that MBI lost, I have not a single care for whatever they want. What I want, Mr. Alexandersson, is to destroy every last millimeter of the disease known as G Corporation. This is not the request of MBI, Mr. Alexandersson, this is _me_ using you as an exterminator to eliminate the plague that goes by the name of G Corporation".

The cold smile of Natsuo would send shiver down anyone's spine.

"I care not if you wish to retrieve MBI's property, for all that could happen, you may destroy it in an 'accident', go ahead and do it, I have no problem. But, Mr. Alexandersson, I know for a fact that you won't let any of the remnants of this past war bloom again, you _don't want_ any of that to exist, you don't want to _risk_ any of that endangering this pathetic excuse of 'peace', you want definitive results, not a half-assed lull that could blow over any minute now".

Natsuo's demeanor descended into that of an enraged madman only for a second. But in less than that fraction of a second, he reverted back to his polite, calm personality.

"This is not about MBI or the G Corp, Alexandersson-san, it is about carrying over for a definitive future" Natsuo finalized.

Both men kept quiet for a couple of seconds. Lars noted that the woman shifted her position during Natsuo's talk, seeming that she had been resisting the urge to laugh.

Looking back at Natsuo, Lars knew that diplomacy could be damned at this point.

"You only want to watch the world burn, don't you? You don't really care for MBI or G Corp, what you wish for is to see everything fall down in a crumbling apocalypse"

"And here I thought you were just another useless, simple-minded soldier, Alexandersson-san" Natsuo laughed lightly as if he were having another normal conversation. "Your talents exceed above just the battlefield, it seems".

"What makes you think I'll do your bidding?" Lars shot back coldly. "For all I care, the world would be a better place without you".

"Because, Alexandersson-san, unlike you, who does the dirty work, I prefer to play the puppeteer" Natsuo elaborated, with a pretty big amount of eloquence. "And unlike you, I have the means to play such role. In my play, there is no role for G Corp, and I would pretty much prefer not having to worry about them instead of having them as an eyesore. But alas, there are requirements needed to play the role".

Natsuo elaborated a rather thick carpet from his desk, and presented it to Lars.

Lars' rage grew inside him as he revised the information contained.

The document contained _very _detailed information of each and every member of the rebel group that Lars commanded, the group which defected from the Tekken force, the Mishima Zaibatsu's private army. Complete names, data on their residence, origins, bank accounts, medical records, just about _anything_ that the most professional spy could ever hope to gather data on.

And not only that, the document also provided definitive information on their current activities as a group, their meeting locations and line numbers, more classified information, the plans they had in mind, and even information that Lars had not presented to the group, such as the plan to openly present themselves to the world as Yggdrasil, something which he hadn't shared even with his most trusted companions yet.

It even contained information of Alisa and Tougou's deaths, for god's sake! Each and every member, be it deceased or alive… and even records on each of their deceased and alive family members too. MBI had this information on him the whole time!?

"Oh, and that's only about your companions. Your file is a whole lot by itself" The woman spoke for the first time in all this impromptu meeting.

Lars' rage spiked at this. He didn't even bother hiding his hatred. As electricity surged through his whole body, and reached his hand, the document literally _ignited_ at the clench of his fist, with purple electricity burning through the papers.

"YOU'LL DARE BRING HARM TO MY MEN!?" Lars exploded. And that sentiment WAS a rhetorical question.

With that last word, Lars' whole body shook and produced violent sparks of purple voltage that blasted and damaged a whole lot of the electrical appliances and the room itself. Lars punched with the side of his fist Natsuo's desk, and immediately broke it in two. In a truly spectacular display, the electricity that flowed from Lars' body travelled along the walls and ceiling, making all of the light bulbs explode in a bright flash, and also broke the large glass behind Natsuo, window that gave a rather pleasant view to the outside of the building.

What followed happened in less than five seconds.

The woman who had been passive this whole time drew her katana from its sheath and with inhuman speed, closed the distance that separated her from Lars in less than a second, with the blade ready to cut him in two with a clean, horizontal slash. Lars retaliated by literally _punching_ the sword, and the woman was surprised to see how the blade actually _shattered_ at the point of impact, only to be followed by her feeling a cold shower filling her body. She realized a second later that it was the electricity flowing out from the man's body which had actually struck her. However, as soon as she realized that, she found herself out of air. Lars hadn't stopped at breaking her katana and filling her body with electricity; he had lowered his position until he was almost crouching, and with a swift move, like lightning, took one single step towards her position, and struck her with a left hook straight in the gut. That strike should have been enough to incapacitate, if not straight out _kill_ a normal person, and if it hadn't been the broken bones, it would have been the electricity that would fry the insides of the target which did the job.

Only that, to Lars' unpleasant surprise, the target he had tried to kill was not human. He found himself with his jaw partly hanging and eyes wide open when he saw that the woman had an insane grin plastered on her face.

In a way, he knew that he should never underestimate his opponents, but it was still unnerving to see someone other than a Mishima survive such deathblow.

Not giving time for her to react, Lars used his other hand to push the inhuman woman away from him, striking on the center of the torso with his open palm. That blow had also been strong, but Lars hadn't meant that second blow to kill, he had meant it to create space between himself and the woman.

The woman flew five meters in the air and crashed against the wall dead center, leaving the shape of her body engraved into the wall… _only to stand up again_.

Lars' dismay could be read in his face.

"Haha… Hahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHA!" the woman cried an insane laugh as she dizzily stood up again after leaving the damaged crust of the wall. "You…! You're really something else!"

The woman raised her broken sword at Lars again, seemingly unaware that the blade was now useless. Pointing the broken blade at Lars, she took another step forward, preparing her counter attack-

"Enough, Karasuba" Natsuo calmly interjected.

"What did you say!?" The woman, now identified as Karasuba retorted, her face disfigured by what seemed to be… ecstasy. "What do you think gives you the right to order me around? You're not even my Ashikabi!"

"You can't go around killing our tools just like that"

Lars gritted his teeth at the casual comment, and Karasuba gave a rather ominous chuckle at it.

"That is a lame comeback, Natsuo"

"Just stating the facts"

Lars would have ripped out the hearts of these two, if only it weren't for the fact that they had the upper hand. Despite all the rage he felt, he knew that he couldn't do anything. He was no fool, and if he let himself do anything more stupid than what he had just done, he knew he would only fall into a worse position. For all Lars despised Natsuo, the lives of all his trusted friends and comrades were at stake.

"So, Alexandersson-san, what are you still doing here? You should go and attend this matter as soon as possible. I wouldn't like to have to start-"

"Consider it done, and yourself dead, Ichinomi Natsuo" Lars interrupted, not in the mood for any more bullshit. "When this is over, you're going to pay". Lars Alexandersson didn't make promises, for he let his actions speak for themselves, this was no promise, it was an _affirmation_.

"I'll be expecting it, Alexandersson-san" Natsuo replied with a smile.

* * *

Lars had stormed out of the Tokyo Tower with as much bottled rage as it was humanly possible to hold. Not only had they dared to threaten his life, they had made enemies of him and his allies. But still, he was in no position to do anything but listen, the risk of something going wrong was too big. They had their ciphered lines, and had hold of _all_ of their secrets. Lars wouldn't risk having more of his men die, and even less in something as ridiculous as this. He was prepared to die fighting, but not as a puppet to an asshole like Natsuo Ichinomi.

Striking the wall, Lars now realized how his hand ached with terrible pain, taking off the now useless leather glove that had covered it, he saw and felt that his right hand was ruined. A normal person would have surely lost their fingers, if not their whole arm to that monstrous strike that Karasuba had landed upon him. If Lars weren't who he was, he would have surely lost his right hand tonight. Inspecting his hand closely, Lars managed to make out that the bones of his fingers were broken. Giving out a frustrated sigh, he placed his hand inside his coat and left the MBI premises.

He would destroy Natsuo Ichinomi, and MBI if he had to. Having lost so much to this war, Lars was not going to tolerate having anything else taken away from him.

* * *

"Are you really sure about this, Natsuo?" Karasuba asked as she kicked what remained of Natsuo's desk. "Minaka won't be amused"

"Ha, like he gives a fleeting damn of anything" Natsuo responded with unnerving composure as he picked what remained of the document that Lars had so abruptly set ablaze. "And even if he knew, what gives? Alexandersson will do his mission, and Minaka'll only care that he has his toys back".

"You're a devil in human skin, Natsuo Ichinomi" Karasuba chuckled.

"Why, thank you. Same goes to you, Black Sekirei"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: The Tekken franchise is property of Namco, and Sekirei is the work of Sakurako Gokurakuin. I own none of the rights to either of them. This is a work of fiction meant only to entertain and in no way intends to tamper with the actual works of either of the elements composing the story. This is a work made by fans for fans, and in no way intends to make any form of profit or economical income.**

**Wagtail's Outpost**

Chapter 2: Circumstances.

**7****th****. of December, 2019: G Corporation Maximum security Lab, somewhere in the Middle East.**

It wasn't a good day to be awake, or even a day to even be alive, so the researchers of the G Corp labs thought.

Having an inhuman, sadist, and excessively violent asshole for a boss didn't help when said boss didn't give them any opportunity to do their work in peace. Their salary wasn't enough to cover the abuse (both moral and physical) they received from the higher-ups… and the very CEO of the corporation they worked for, not that the higher-ups themselves were in any better condition, though. Everyone was working full time now, and the CEO _still_ decided to pay them a visit every now and then as if it somehow would _inspire_ the researchers to suddenly learn how to finally complete their work.

It didn't work that way, sadly.

Genetics, for all that they were his passion, Dr. Abel hadn't been able to come across anything that satisfied anyone of the team, let alone himself or the higher-ups. The cranky (and mad) scientist's lack of sleep hadn't proven to be useful for their investigation. It didn't matter how much he tried, the alien DNA just wouldn't provide any sort of positive traits on the human genome, as the altered chains just fell apart by themselves. The new cells weren't able to hold out on their own and collapsed too quickly, too fast for any real or viable application. He should have expected it, even in the hypothetical planning stages the success rate was near the zero mark. But as a scientist (and a mad one at that), trial and error was as natural as breathing, and with no scruples or moral chains to hold him back, he gladly tried, tried and _tried_.

Cloning the DNA of the alien girls hadn't proved feasible. For all the similarities that it bore to the human's, it wasn't being _cooperative_, to put it someway. To make matters worse, it wasn't due to anything the scientists of the G Corp labs had done, it just seemed like these girls had been literally _made unable_ to provide useful information for them.

Thing is, that any sort of living tissue had, to put it bluntly a _date of expiring_. Any sort of organic, _alive_ material was condemned to someday fall apart. It was the rules of nature. Even if the Devil Gene research had shown some unnatural and promising results, their investigations had come to a point where they could no longer have anything else done to them, and it was Kazuya Mishima the one who knew first and foremost that it would eventually reach that point. There is a limit to what can be done where there is limited material, and they were pretty scarce on this stock.

Kazuya, as the original bearer to the Devil Gene, revived from the nearest-of-death states someone could be in, had always known that on the day he was thrown into the volcano (for the second time in his life, courtesy of his father) he had lost more than just the half of his devil power. The near-death experience not only made him lose grasp of said power, that very same power left his body to look for another host, only to allocate in his then unborn child: Jin Kazama.

It was an amusing and bitter turn of events, even to this day whenever Kazuya thought about it.

Jin Kazama had received his father's curse, and that was something he loathed down to the root of his very existence. The power of the Devil Gene was as incredible as it was terrible; the Mishima and Kazama families had been the first witnesses to it. If growing wings and becoming capable of shooting goddamn _lasers_ from their foreheads wasn't enough, the inhuman regeneration and physical augmentations should suffice to prove just how terrifying the Devil Gene was. More than once, Jin and Kazuya had been on the verge of what shouldn't even leave rests of them, and _still_ they walked on the earth… or at least Kazuya did.

_If only it hadn't been for Jin's suicide…_

The Devil Gene was currently _incomplete_, and even though the remaining half coursing in Kazuya's blood was more than enough to make the world shake, it's unimaginable what could Kazuya accomplish with the _full _Devil Gene. His mastery of the cursed power wasn't just for show.

Looking back into his research and lore of the Devil Gene, counting even the failed GENOCELL project, Dr. Abel had proved his worth to Kazuya's ends. It wasn't for nothing that he was one of the top head researchers of the G Corporation. And even in this project, he was demonstrating his terrifying genius by making something out of his new duties.

For all his stubbornness, Abel's frustration wasn't even reaching the warming point, he was _enjoying_ his time.

The studies would continue.

* * *

**10****th**** of December, 2019: Shin Tokyo**

"No, Yukari, none of that" Takami sighed. "Well, there should-"

She was again cut off her daughter's loud ramblings, being forced to retire the phone away from her to avoid getting additional ear damage.

"Just make it so there's no need for concern" Takami pinched herself between her eyebrows, with frustration building up. No matter how a strong authority she was, she knew that the teenage girl was so unearthly _stubborn_ that it wouldn't matter what was said to her, she would still carry onwards with whatever absurdity she was enamored at the moment.

"_Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission"_ Takami thought dryly, knowing that she would be giving both a lecture and a punishment at a later date.

Giving a deep sigh, she made her way into the laboratory. There was no use to wasting energy in useless tasks like "wishing" or "hoping". Takami didn't care for intentions, she cared for _actions and results_. Firmly standing for that motto, Takami dismissed anything regarding her personal life as she gave the first step into the marble-colored hallways.

Still, there was a part of her that screamed, that wanted to know the situation of her other children.

* * *

**At the same time: Hong Kong, China; near the Chinese Interpol branch.**

"No, there is no need for concern".

…

"Roger, make the necessary preparations".

With the click of a key, the call ended. Placing the phone in his coat's pocket, Lars gave a dejected sigh.

The Interpol had gotten a pretty big, brand new building. Even on the outskirts of town, the most noticeable landmark was the 80-story building that stood in the center of the city. Though nowhere near as impressive as the Millennium Tower, the Chinese branch Interpol HQ gave a sense of authority that reflected just how big (and busy) the International Police force was.

Without minding how the bustling crowds swayed without any apparent direction, Lars squeezed his way to the entrance.

He was met with a good number of officers, detectives and whatnot going in and out of the elevators, stairs, and doors. Day and night, the Interpol was busy, whether it were just routine check-ups, revisions, documenting, or the more private operatives and missions, the Interpol's doors just couldn't seem to hold in all the people that almost lived in the building.

Lars approached the lady in the reception.

"Miss?" He spoke in his best English. "I'm here to see detective Lei Wulong".

"Pass, documents and identifications" The lady retorted without even looking at him.

"Right" Lars responded and elaborated a folded paper, a yellow carpet with a moderate number of papers inside, and passport from his coat, and proceeded to present them all to the lady, who received the papers absentmindedly. It could be overly complicated to just see someone of the Interpol, and even less when the branch that person worked in was as big as the Chinese one.

"Lei Wulong is on the 36th. Floor: International affairs" She continued and provided Lars with another piece of paper. "Now, we'll take a photo of you".

Lars wasn't even able to say a thing as a bright strobe, which he identified as a camera flash lit his face.

"…Now, show me your hands, and place your fingerprints here, Mr. Alexandersson" She didn't even wait for him to cooperate, and took his hand with her own, and placed it on a scanner, not even minding how Lars' hand was bandaged in thick straps from the palm to the knuckles. Still, Lars didn't seem to mind the lady's roughness.

"And now, take this, proceed to the check lane over there, and if you're clear, you'll be let through". She spoke still in monotone. "If not, you'll have to deal with another set of necessary procedures. The elevators after the corner are for the personal to use; you will be escorted by our guards and be taken through the public sections. Thank you for visiting us". She finalized without breaking a sweat, and gave Lars what seemed to be a ticket of some sort.

"Uh… thanks" Lars responded sheepishly, taking the yellowish paper with his good hand.

* * *

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Lars was thankful that the metallic detectors had been updated and didn't go haywire when they were used on him. He had unpleasant memories of machinery being used on him in the past.

Lars produced a stronger magnetic field in comparison to the normal human, as well as an unnatural purple voltage from his body, which he was sure were due to his Mishima heritage. And even for all that he despised his father and all related to the Mishimas, the abilities he had inherited didn't come with their fair share of _oddities._

When Lars' personal magnetic field entered in contact with machinery that used some sort of electro-magnetic detection or made use of similar function, malfunctions were prone to be caused, malfunctions that ranged from the devices going into a beeping rampage, to simply stop working all of a sudden.

More than once, Lars had been stuck in _awkward_ situations that had ended with him having to bashfully _flee_ from the scene.

If only he were a little less _outstanding_ (He still loved his hair, though).

However, not only could Lars disrupt machinery, he was also able to have some other types of machines work or start functioning by giving them a discharge. Still, Lars had never learned to use his abilities outside of combat applications, and had wanted to experiment with them, although he never really had had the time to do so.

The only thing he had ever tried was to charge his phone with his own power once. It ended with the phone blowing up with a loud bang, the battery practically non-existent, and leaving what remained of the device emitting fumes and completely useless. Not exactly the motivating type of outcome.

In a way, it was disheartening being able to disrupt most machinery just by being nearby it, as much as it was fascinating making others work. Gladly taking the lack of inconsequence during the check-up at the lobby, Lars was able to meet Lei without inconveniences.

* * *

"It's good to see you, Lars" Lei greeted him with a broad smile.

If only it wasn't that the Chinese detective was always unable to eat his noodles, opting to sometimes try to eat them in his office (something the superiors found both amusing and unprofessional), and that by some reason he _still_ managed to fill the office with empty noodle bowls, Lei would actually give the impression of being a consummate, professional detective; not that he wasn't. For all his untidy-ness and unreturned(?) love for Chinese noodles, Lei Wulong was, without a doubt, one of the greatest detective the Interpol could ever hope to have, a fellow with a steadfast heart of gold… and one _heck_ of a drunken-fist style.

Between titanic amounts of papers and empty bowls, Lars had managed to take a seat in a chair hidden between said effects. Lars wondered how Lei managed to fit himself in the overcrowded workplace.

"Good to see you're still alive and kicking" Lars replied. "I'm surprised you haven't drowned under all this stuff yet" he remarked playfully.

"Nah" Lei nodded his head. "Really, there's less stuff here than yesterday".

"That's impossible"

"I'm dead serious" Lei replied with a grin.

After the brief exchange of familiarity, Lars and Lei gave a light chuckle along with the usual remarks and wishes of well-being, eventually falling into the routine talk of how things were going.

Lei's good nature was always refreshing. Even if the Chinese detective was somewhat goofy, he was a reliable ally, and a trustworthy fellow all things considered. Lars wouldn't like to have him as an enemy.

"So what brings you here, Lars? It's rare to see you showing yourself around".

At the inquiry, Lars knew it was time to go for business.

Thankfully, Lei had the decency of trying to keep certain matters private, and with the office door shutting them away from the rest of the building, Lars could unveil his worries. However, just to make sure, he would try to get as much secrecy as possible. For all that he knew both MBI and G Corp had eyes and ears everywhere. MBI _had_ managed to get hold on some pretty delicate information, after all, and he didn't like in the slightest the idea of giving them any more leads.

Scribbling on a piece of paper, Lars handed it to Lei along with a set of documents he had brought with him.

"Ah, I am investigating something" Lars said. "I was hoping you could help me with it".

"It's come to my attention that the G Corp's been making some unusual movements since mid-August, and that it's all been about transport cargos being lost. And you guessed it, the G Corp's on it. Since China's been quite on the red zone as of recently, you'd guess there have been pretty big movements within it".

"_And MBI has to do with it" _The paper read.

Lei's perplex didn't show. He started revising the documents with a relaxed expression.

After a few minutes of silence, Lei scribbled on the paper and gave it back along with the documents.

"Actually, I have also been keeping track on the G Corp myself" Lei replied.

"_And MBI too"_ his response read.

"Well, you got that right. Let's do something. Since it is recent scoop, the documentation should still be in the archives, what about it. Do you want to take a look at them?" Lei continued with naturalness befit of an agent who's been working on-cover for all their life. Lars knew that Lei wanted to take this conversation somewhere else.

"Sure".

"…How bad is it?" Lei had finally broken the ice after making sure they were deep enough in the archives.

The Interpol archives were quite the big place. Even if in comparison to other branches' archives perhaps it lacked grandeur, the Chinese branch of the Interpol had its respectable amount of paperwork to back-up their investigations. Even if what resided in here were only the most recent information (as the older cases were moved to a different area), the bulk of papers was still impressive. With everything set with a complicated system of enumeration and ordering, being streamlined in rows of tall deposits, each and every case occurred or regarding China's intern and international affairs resided here… or at least the majority of them did.

Even if the archives were a desolate place, seeming that only but a few came for information regarding active cases, it was still a place where a handful of information could be gathered… and where no talk was heard from.

The archives were completely isolated from the outside world; first and foremost as a measure against any form of potential leak of information, what came to the archives was to remain in the archives; even members of the Interpol had to go through a fancy (and over complicated) procedure if they wanted to take out anything of it. Additionally, communications with the outside weren't available while inside, the place was practically sealed, making phone calls and any communication device useless while inside the pseudo-hermetically sealed vault.

Or at least, Lars hoped so. Last thing he needed was MBI going after his head, or anyone under his protection, for that matter.

"I don't know" Lars responded simply.

"…coming from you, that's a scary thought" Lei replied after a moment of thought.

"Precisely. But all things considered, I am sure it's _very_ bad" Lars agreed.

"What's the deal?" Lei continued.

Lars gave a dejected sigh. He had been sighing too much recently.

"MBI's been in a pretty good position ever since the war's end, I'm sure that's no secret" Lars began.

"Yeah, they have been steadily getting higher and higher" Lei responded. "They're quite popular around pretty much in the whole world. That's to say, that even we have deals with them".

"That identification thing, right? That one with the MBI machines that with a blow you can run DNA comparisons around in your databases to capture criminals and wanted terrorists, isn't it?"

"That's one" Lei confirmed. "It's a pretty ambitious project if you ask me, but hey, it's a start".

"Right. But before we proceed any further, what do you know about MBI's intelligence?" Lars was beginning to get an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. No matter if he was far away from that insane businessman, the thought that he knew so much was haunting.

"Ugh" Lei snorted, and gave a deep sigh. "You know, I've never really liked the idea of being a total paranoid; all that about not trusting anyone and keeping your friends close but your enemies closer. But yet again, the world _is_ a dangerous place. And with people like G Corp and the Zaibatsu having been on the loose for this long, we've been given a fair share of reasons to be paranoid".

Lars didn't need to respond at that statement.

The Mishima Zaibatsu, with a little bit of over 50 years now in business, still stood up. Even if now it had lost a great deal of power, thanks to Jin Kazama's recent actions, it still managed to stay afloat, and not in a desperate manner. Even if they had lost billions upon this latest war, the Mishima Zaibatsu group had managed to survive against everything. Lars could only think of a weed: no matter how much abuse and how many times they had thought they cut the roots of it, the Mishima Zaibatsu _managed_ to survive all odds and reclaim their power. If only it wasn't for the Zaibatsu being in practically _everything_, from banks, small business, medical research and services (Although they were a long way to reach MBI), to even local craftsmanship of small countries, the Zaibatsu was the biggest jack-of-all-trades in the economical world. Lars had to give it to Heihachi; as much as he hated the megalomaniac, he certainly had what it took to make a successful business out of practically nothing. And it wasn't only Heihachi, for the brief periods of time that Kazuya and Jin had the control of the conglomerate they had made a good work of their business as well…

Perhaps it ran in the family. Lars had his own businesses running and was also making a name for himself. He shivered at the thought.

However, for all their power and might, the Zaibatsu was equally infamous for their sheer _excessiveness_ at all they did. Even back in the 90's, when Heihachi suddenly announced the first King of Iron Fist Tournament, he didn't make it a small festival; instead he made it one of the biggest carnivals of recent times.

Lars had just been a young boy by then, but he still remembered the uproar that had caused Heihachi's sudden announcement of an open fighting tournament in which the winner would be able to take control of the Zaibatsu. Had it been fame, glory, the money or whatever the reasons the ones who joined the tournament had at that moment… none of them mattered in the end, as it was but Kazuya Mishima, Heihachi's own son, the one to make it.

And as if one tournament hadn't been enough, Kazuya had actually done a second one, sponsored by none other than himself of course… only to lose to Heihachi of all people in a somewhat ironic turn of events. The tournament ended with a smashing victory from Heihachi… and Kazuya being thrown into a volcano, _again_.

The Mishimas really liked to punch (and head-butt) other people. Lars couldn't understand their need the need to fight to avoid boredom, yet again, he had gotten a little of it himself (the part of head-butting others), even if he would never admit it.

And it was about 15 years later when Heihachi announced a _third_ tournament.

And after that third tournament was when things started spiraling further and further down into madness.

Even if Heihachi was declared winner of the third tournament, there had been pretty strange rumors circling around. For starters, it was how the G Corp suddenly became important in the Zaibatsu's eye, and a guerrilla started between them. What the public didn't know was that it happened in the first place because the G Corp had found and revived Kazuya Mishima, which Heihachi apparently didn't approve of.

And more important, the third tournament marked the apparition of Jin Kazama, who mysteriously disappeared at the end of same third tournament. The third tournament was filled to the brim with deliberate tampering of the matches, especially by the last quarters of it. Kazuya Mishima, Jin Kazama and Heihachi Mishima had been accounted as the decisive (and more popular finalists), and things started becoming weird in the finals. Jin Kazama never showed to what would have been the final match. The third tournament ended with Heihachi winning by default, in a very anticlimactic finale. Also, after Jin Kazama's victory against Kazuya, the man disappeared immediately.

Heihachi sponsored the fourth tournament just two years later, and that was an interesting tournament, if not for the fact that it had also ended in an abrupt matter and questionable circumstances. Jin Kazama showed again on the fourth tournament, and apparently decided to not retire until the very end that time.

The tournament ended in a confusing and chaotic mess. The G Corporation raided the finale with Jacks, their mobile robotic soldiers (which to this day have a tendency to go into kamikaze rampages), ended the tournament with the apparent death of Heihachi, another disappearance of Jin Kazama, and to top it, the resurrection of Jinpachi Mishima, father of Heihachi. In the midst of the havoc that was the end of the fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament, it was Jinpachi the one who took control of the Zaibatsu.

However, Jinpachi didn't lose any time and prepared yet the fifth tournament just a few months later. Said tournament was actually pretty normal for all it had… Except that it became infamous for the fact that Jin Kazama was the one to take the Zaibatsu by beating the tournament, and then pretty much proceeded to fuck up the whole world.

After Kazama took over the Zaibatsu, he quickly armed himself to the bone, and, in 2014, began his insane war. He declared himself and the Zaibatsu enemies of the world and with that said, the four year war period began. It was in 2018 that he finally decided to make his next ridiculous move.

That's right; he gave the _sixth_ tournament to the world. Any word to describe how utterly ridiculous and preposterous it was and still is, an understatement.

Kazama made it as if daring his enemies to come at him. It was also in this period that the world learned that Kazuya took over the G Corp (although few knew that he climbed to the top by killing pretty much everybody of the old directive bench) and he began his counter-attack. With many placing a big bounty over his head, Kazama responded with the tournament.

However, that tournament was a complete fiasco. Partly due to the war- no, scrap that, it was because it had happened _during the freaking war_. It also was on this four year war period that Lars finally started doing his moves as well.

And the world would never know that it had been Lars Alexandersson the one who saved the world, they would forever blindly think of the treacherous G Corp as their heroes.

However, saving the world is one thing. _Living through it_ is another whole matter.

Lars knew that he still had a job to do. Even if the war had ended, there was still much to do. He had taken the initiative, but there had been… difficulties in trying to proceed with his own agendas.

Mainly, the fact that the G Corp and Zaibatsu had been trying their hardest to eliminate him; ever since he had defected from the Tekken force and started a revolution in its numbers, he had received a handsome bounty for his head as well. And also, MBI was now trying to keep him under control.

Lars knew that he was an unknown variable to both companies; he held a _lot_ of information and power that was dangerous to the G Corp, and also MBI (and he still kept tabs on the Zaibatsu, just in case). Even if he would never have ill intentions, the same couldn't be said about his enemies. The actual situation in the world was balancing on a thin string between MBI and G Corp, and Lars held the power to overthrow any, or both of them, or if maybe not overthrow, debilitate them enough for the other to give the coup-de-grace. He was too hazardous to be left alone.

That was the reason why MBI was trying to use him as a scapegoat, and, if whatever were they hiding were as dangerous as he feared, it may be used against himself, or the rival company or maybe both at the same time, finally taking them out of the map may not be too out of the picture.

Last thing the world needed was another war, Lars reminded himself, and also, it was also the last thing he himself needed.

And in a way, he was _scared_. There was no use to deny it.

"What we know about MBI is that they're mainly a pharmaceutics research and developing firm, although they also have a lot to do on the public industry field, one of them are the domestic appliances that have a pretty good sales rates on the whole world. However, from 2010 to this date, they've also been focusing on military and space research. They've even got a couple satellites in orbit now" Lei elaborated.

"The CEO Hirot Minaka, or Minaka Hiroto if you prefer occidental naming, while being known as an eccentric individual is remarked as a genius in informatics and industrial systems. He was the one who created the registered trademarks that MBI is known for that still are used by them to this day, and is the founder of MBI, dating back to the early 2000's, and has only been growing larger since then".

"MBI's prime happened on the final of 2016 when they started actively participating in the war, although not as an armed force ("even if they do have an army" Lei added as a personal note), instead acting as a support and charity group that has helped well over a thousand countries across the globe with their resources. They have currently funded 8 cities on their totality by their resources alone, the most prominent being Shin Tokyo, or New Tokyo to the foreigners, in the heart of Japan after the bombardment to the former city in March of 2014".

"MBI has established an impressive amount of deals and partnerships with many important companies and groups around the world, which include the Interpol; and curiously enough, MBI actively refuses to have any form of interactions with the G Corporation" Lei finished the resume on the company, resume he had picked up from the bunch of files they had brought to the table they were sitting in.

"So, MBI's the new Zaibatsu?" Lars cynically inquired.

"To be perfectly honest, and this is my personal opinion. That's not a bad comparison" Lei responded. "Maybe it's just that they haven't done anything yet" He joked.

_If these two knew…._

"Aside from being in practically everything they can poke their eye in, MBI doesn't seem to have any major upbringings for now. However, and this is coming from what I've gathered…" Lei took a moment to pause. Now they were going to thread fragile waters. Lowering his voice, Lei continued to elaborate.

"MBI does have its secrets. And the most prominent ones begin on the foundation of the company"

Lars moved closer to inspect the files that the dark-haired detective had separated from the bunch and given to him.

"It's just that Minaka was practically a nobody before 1999. Before MBI, Minaka was just your average university student, with nothing too remarkable ("except for the fact that people called him an asshole even before that" Lei added another personal note) and a little bit of ability in the technologic fields. He had _nothing_ before MBI, and considering his actual position, it does seem strange, wouldn't you say?"

Lars nodded slowly.

"Minaka became rich in a matter of months after going on a trip in 1999, trip that has been thoroughly made _impossible_ to find information from. And that's not all. Any and all records preceding MBI's official foundation are a mess to make any sense of. If it's about legal actions, everything seems fine at first glance, however, the more that I keep looking, the more holes that start showing up. For example, did you know that MBI owns a territory that doesn't appear in any maps?"

Lars' expression stiffened.

"They've done a great effort to have some sort of island, if I understand correctly, to be kept out of the global geographic records. It's not unheard of to keep territories secret to be used as places to set bunkers and use them as grounds to do _certain_ kinds of things, which aren't legal most of the time. That's _one_ of the things that they've done. But while we're on this…"

Lei handed another document. It was a report on an operative…

"…They rejected and blew up complete armies?" Lars' voice didn't show amusement or disbelief. He was familiar with forces being able to take out whole militias, after all. "As in, organized and armed advances?"

"Yup" Lei responded simply. "In the mid 2000's, when the jumbo about this island began, it seemed that Minaka wasn't the only one interested in whatever was that was there. More than a few nations were interested in putting their own fingers there. Still, any and all attempts ended in failure… with a bizarre number of casualties… and the fact that there are no details of what really happened there bothers me a lot. No matter how much I try to find information on it, it seems like any information regarding those incidents has been carefully handled. Not even the Interpol has much regarding that".

"What about external sources?"

"Dead ends" Lei irked bluntly. He seemed to be as haunted as frustrated as a detective stepping into an alley in their investigation could be. "Your guesses are as good as mine".

Both men kept quiet. Lars kept reading and revising the files as if there was something he had missed, his frustration growing as there really was _nothing else_ to work from.

"So" Lei stretched his arms. "What can you tell me? What are you up to?"

After a moment of consideration, Lars spoke.

"MBI is up to something" He opted for a simple beginning. "And G Corp is conscious of it".

"They've been working on something, I bet to say that for a long time now, though I don't know just _what_ that is yet. The G Corp found out about it and stole it, and is currently making its own use of whatever that is. MBI has gone a long way to make me do their dirty work and retrieve their mysterious junk… And no, I don't like any second of this".

"Which makes you question just what the hell is really going on" Lei completed for him.

"…Yeah" Lars sighed. At least Lei understood his concerns of the bigger picture; the reasons for MBI to go as far as making him go through all this.

"Well, for starters, tell me where we should be looking" Lei vigorously declared, deciding that it was time to get to work.

"The cargo that they lost was apparently around here" Lars pointed out to the eastern coast of Japan.

"A marine port?"

"Yes, when the shipments arrived, they were supposed to be loaded onto land transportation, but were attacked right as they reached the extraction point. They lost their units and cargo to an armed series of Jacks, after that they retreated through the air on G Corp planes, and MBI lost track of them here on China".

Lars took a moment to ponder.

"Actually, how is it that they've lost track of them here in the first place? I knew that China's situation has been unstable recently, but…"

"It's a bit complicated" Lei responded sheepishly. "It involves the latest trade agreements ("Which have been put in vigor just six months ago" Lei added) made when the president got himself the Zaibatsu off, and if I understand it correctly, the Interpol has total control in the Chinese borders when dealing with intercontinental trading. That is to say, that even if we have total control… we aren't exactly foolproof, and the fact that no one really knows what's going on has made holes for more than one rat to crawl through. Precisely the reason we have this buttload of work".

Lars understood where it was coming from. A war which had settled iron-tight dictatorships on most of the dominated countries had affected a whole lot of the current politic and economic balances. Most American and European countries were trying to adapt to the new regulations that had been established after the World Bank was about to go out of order with the loans they had been giving around like hot bread. Other countries had instead opted to make their own regulations to try and alleviate the burdens that had fallen upon them. China had been for now, one of the most disputed countries in more than one margin (although it was mainly economical instead of political), as it held an important position in the modern world. However, instead of accommodating to outside demands, China had taken an unheard type of initiative, and move forward into trying to consolidate itself as a superpower nation (Which had its fair share of setbacks and inconveniences until now). On a morbid note, the fact that so many people had died either from the bombardments, lack of food, or some other factors, helped to keep the nearly ghost nation going. With the lack of super-population, there was less need to spend, making it easier for the governments to carry other matters onward.

"So right now, China is the perfect place to hide" Lars sardonically noted.

"You make it sound horrible. But sadly, it's true" Lei gave a dry laugh. "It's one of the reasons we're busier than ever" He repeated.

"If we consider all things, then they came to China to regroup and plan their next move. The cargo was coming from Russia, and yet they attacked on the Japanese borders… wouldn't it have been easier to attack on Russia?" Lars inquired, giving a glance at Lei at the lack of response from the detective, and was met with a nervous look.

"More new regulations?"

Lei nodded.

"Oh, come on!" Even if Lars tried to keep himself as informed as he could possibly be, it seemed that the world kept spinning too fast for him.

"Russia's on a _zero_ tolerance, war-powered terror. Doing any kind of armed movement within their territory will result in them nuking everything out, or so they say" Lei gave a sheepish laugh. "They DID go fabricating atomic weapons like there was no tomorrow during the first two years of the war, after all. Thank the heavens that they didn't use any of them. The U.S. is already dealing with them… for better or worse".

Atomic nuking… now that was a really _disturbing_ thought. Lars made note to add that to his pending list. What the world least needed right now was another conflict, and less to deal with the aftermath of radiation filling the world. If Lars was thankful for one thing of the four year war was that neither biological nor atomic weaponry was used. For all that he loathed and hated Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, Lars was thankful that they hadn't gone ballistic and _ended_ the world with bizarre armament.

Yet again, Lars k_new_ the reasons behind the war, and he would never justify them, down to the grave.

"Well, atomic nuking aside, if you look at it from another perspective, going back and forth from Japan sort of makes sense" Lars noted.

All his years as commander in front and logistics planner had paid off.

"It's a long shot, but maybe G Corp had to do the impromptu ambush in Japan because they wouldn't be able to do it elsewhere. If they had done the ambush in Russia, they get the risk of unleashing a nuclear conflict, if they do it on sea they risk losing the cargo in the sea, and if they do it farther away from the coasts, they risk being unable to even being able to retrieve them in the first place, as MBI has more personnel the further they go into Japan".

"How do you back up that?"

"Because whatever is that MBI has lost is dangerous, and I'm afraid to say that perhaps it's on a global calamity scale".

First rule of warfare: The enemy is dangerous and will try to kill you. Expect the worst, and act accordingly.

Lars knew that too well. His scars and experience weren't just for show and name.

Second rule of warfare: those who strike first, strike twice.

Again, Lars knew that too well. The Zaibatsu had struck first and gotten the best hand in the war. Now, the G Corp had made their first move and put MBI in a tight situation, and also, MBI had gone ahead and roughed him up. He had lost the first move, but that didn't mean he would lose the fight, he was only in a _bad_ position right now… a _very bad _position.

And, first rule of global warfare: Expect the enemy to have the means to, if not completely, destroy you. Act accordingly.

This was also painfully experimented first-hand by Lars. All his soldiers had died for a reason or another, but it had always been because both the G Corp and Zaibatsu _were able to do it_ and_ could have always done it in the first place_. The same could be applied backwards, but yet again, being _able_ to do it doesn't mean it _should_ be done. Lars didn't want genocide, he wanted _a definite end_. Even if he knew that he would have to take lives, that wouldn't mean he would indiscriminately eliminate anyone who stood against him.

_Alisa had been the best example of it…_

This situation was no different. And with all these precedents, Lars was expecting the worst kind of truth behind whatever was happening in MBI, and wished that the G Corporation's meddling wouldn't make matters worse, were it possible.

"If this were so to be resolved so easily, MBI wouldn't have cared and would have acted by themselves, but I _still_ was pushed here to do the dirty work for them, and if I'm going to do it, I'll do it as discreetly as possible".

Lars didn't tell Lei that Natsuo Ichinomi had his own personal goals. Officially, Lars was to retrieve the objects for MBI. Even if Ichinomi was going to do something once MBI recovered them, Lars was, for all that he hated, on the losing end. MBI (and by consequence, Ichinomi) had what they needed to use Lars as their dog right now.

Because Lars was too noble to let his companions die for him to the machinations of a no-face company like MBI, and even less to someone like Ichinomi.

"…You keep speaking of how you are being forced to do this, Lars" Lei noted carefully. "Just how is it that MBI's making _you_ of all people do something so inconspicuous?"

"They have _lots_ of information on me and my people" Lars responded. "Information of the delicate type, the kind of information only a superspy or someone of a major caliber could gather. A mere pharmaceutics company shouldn't be able to do that".

"…_Are you serious?_" This time, Lei seemed honestly surprised.

"I don't know how they do it, but the information they have is extensive, concrete, accurate, and over everything else, very _real_. Who knows what else they know".

Lars' defeated response made Lei shiver.

"Lars, if what you're telling me is true, then…"

"Please keep this between us, Lei" Lars pleaded. "I want you to wait until I have a better picture of the situation. If the Interpol starts making moves, I can't assure that MBI won't notice. I've already gone out of my way just to speak with you, and I'm afraid I've only put you in danger".

Lars' expression was sorrowful, even if he didn't want to show it.

"Man, you're really dragging yourself down to the ground with this" the Chinese detective responded empathetically.

Even if they hadn't known each other for that long, Lars knew he could trust in Lei. It had been Lei the one who had helped him advance into the G Corp's, and eventually into the Zaibatsu's core. Even if things hadn't gone as smoothly as he wanted on there, Lars was thankful of having the non-conditional support of Lei, he was one of the few remaining individuals Lars could confide in. Lei had proven being trustworthy in all these years.

"Thank you again, Lei" Lars tried to convey his heartfelt gratitude with his words, and even if he had a hard time expressing himself with them; even if he was a man of actions, he knew that still it didn't hurt to try to use different methods.

"Don't think too much about it" Lei responded, accepting Lars' gratitude with respect.

"So, where should we be looking?" Lei put themselves back on track. "If MBI's lost track of them here in China, then we're onto something".

"How so?" Lars inquired, placing his hand on his mouth.

"Do you know when the incident happened?"

"It was on the 26th of October, just before midnight, in Japan's time". Lars reminisced out of what Ichinomi had told him, and the document he had on the subject. "I think that would make it about 9 p.m., almost 10 here in Hong Kong".

"Well, we just need to start digging the holes". Lei grinned.

"If the G Corp had to come here to regroup and eventually have the stolen cargo leave China as well, we need to start checking their movements from that date onwards. And we can't assume that they haven't left this country yet, which broadens our checklist".

China _was_ a good place to hide, Lei and Lars both knew. With China outside the eye of MBI, G Corp could work in China without being really bothered. Even if it was probable, the chance of it not being the case still was of 50/50 all things considered. If MBI started to move into China, it would make G Corp's mobilization harder as they had to start moving at the last minute, which in return would raise suspicions, and may have eventually fell into having not only MBI on their tail, but also the Interpol. The Chinese Interpol branch was on maximum alert, because after all, the recent decisions of the president had put a big burden on them, and with them working 24/7, it made G Corp's mobilization harder the longer they remained in China. Getting out of China was as challenging as remaining there.

There were pros and cons both to remain and leave China.

"For now, we start by G Corp's movements from the 26th onwards here in China. We revise every single G Corp cargo that came and left the country, and also, whatever they've been doing here in China. While I think that it may not be much, we just check any sudden or previously unexpected moves first, and then move onto the more normal stuff" Lei recited. "I can use my contacts to help us".

"What about being found out?" Lars noted. "We cannot move hastily".

"YOU cannot move freely, I can still move around" Lei noted.

In a way, he was glad that Lars was so thoughtful, seeing how the former soldier always thought of his allies and himself as a whole. Lars always fought on the front lines after all, back-to-back with his comrades, which was one of the reasons he was so popular among his numbers. When he needed someone to cover him, there would be someone to help him out, and he himself would seek out to assist others whenever they needed him. He was considered brave and reliable, both as a leader and comrade.

So, when Lars was suddenly cut off from the action, he did lose his ground, albeit only a little. He didn't like to stand in the back, after all.

Thankfully, he knew that sometimes stepping back was the only option.

"And if we don't find anything?" He opted for the worst outcome.

_First rule of warfare: The enemy is dangerous and will try to kill you. Expect the worst, and act accordingly._

Lei gave a chuckle.

"If all else fails, and I mean if really ALL else fails… We go ballistic for answers".

* * *

"_Say, how did you get your hand damaged?"_

"_Crazy bitches. Crazy, crazy bitches"_


End file.
